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Great Drives

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The Great Ocean Road – Victoria

This famous drive hugs the cliffs along the Victorian coast and has some of the most breathtaking views. We all know the Twelve Apostles, but what you may not know is that this drive spends quite a bit of time inland through some of the most beautiful rainforests you'll find south of the tropics. WWI veterans built the Great Ocean Road as a monument to fallen comrades. It was also Australia's first toll road and later a gift to the Victorian government. Other top spots include Bells Beach, historic villages in Queenscliff, Port Fairy and Portland, and the resort towns of Lorne and Apollo Bay. Coastal drives simply don't get any better than the Great Ocean Road.

Image: The Great Ocean Road - Victoria
Image: The Great Tropical Drive - Queensland

The Great Tropical Drive – Queensland

This drive has two of the world's most beautiful living treasures - the reef and the rainforest, and you won't find them anywhere else on Earth but on the Great Tropical Drive. This drive is divided into five sections: Northern, Western, Southern, Central and the Great Green Way. Loop north from Cairns to Cooktown via the Captain Cook Highway (right), then inland south through lush tropics and golden savannah to Charters Towers, before curving north again to the coast via Townsville. You'll discover rainforests that spill down mountainsides to meet the sea in a chain of magnificently deserted white beaches with cassowaries dart in and out. The loop through the jungley Atherton Tablelands is one of the best-kept secrets in Tropical Queensland.

The Waterway Fall – New South Wales

This classic tour starts in Coffs Harbour on the mid-north NSW coast, goes through the lush rainforest of the Great Divide then to the New England Tablelands to finish in Armidale. This is one trip where the road itself is the destination. You'll see amazing wilderness, deep gorges and bucolic countryside, and you'll also get the road to yourself. You can do the whole drive in less than a day, but you'd miss out on some great walks through the national parks and countless perfect picnic spots. There are plenty of waterfalls too, with the pick of the bunch being Dorrigo's Dangar, Ebor, Wollomombi and Apsley.

Image: The Waterway Fall - New South Wales
Image: Nature's Way - Northern Territory

Nature's Way – Nothern Territory

The beautiful waterfalls, billabongs, crocodiles and Aboriginal art of Kakadu need no introduction. But despite its fearsome reputation as the last frontier, Kakadu and the Top End are surprisingly easy to get around in any type of car and best of all; none of the main sites involve long walks to get there. The main route through Kakadu is known as the Nature's Way, it is fully sealed and links up with the Stuart Highway at both ends. It begins at the turnoff to the Arnhem Highway just south of Darwin and makes its way up to the mining town of Jabiru. The drive then joins up with the Kakadu Highway running south to the Stuart Highway near the historic Pine Creek.

Cape to Cape – Western Australia

If you like good food, good wine and good waves then Western Australia's southwest is the drive for you. This combination of surf and wine culture around the Margaret River region is unbeatable anywhere else in Australia. From the north of Cape Naturaliste and the south of Cape Leeuwin, you'll find the home of some of the finest wines produced in Australia. Caves Road runs Cape to Cape and is the best way to explore this area, especially with the town of Margaret River as a halfway mark.

Image: Cape to Cape - Western Australia
Image: Flinders Ranges – South Australia

Flinders Ranges – South Australia

The mountains through the Flinders Ranges are 600 million years old and just a five-hour drive from Adelaide. These mountains were once higher than the Himalayas and the Aboriginal Dreamtime stories around the creation of these ancient landforms and gorges have been passed on for more than 40,000 years. The Flinders Ranges are remote and rugged but the main roads are easily accessible to everyday cars. If you want to explore some of the side tracks however, you'll need a 4WD. The best time to visit the Flinders Ranges is in spring, when the ragged hills and valley floors are covered in wildflowers.

Coast to Coast – Tasmania

Tasmania's southwest is a jumble of rugged mountain ranges, ancient trees, wild rivers and great national parks. It is one of the world's wildest spots and is also one of the last true wilderness regions on Earth showcasing a great range of natural and cultural experiences. This has led to the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area protecting the region. Driving from Hobart to Strahan takes you past open paddocks and farmlands, through historic villages filled with convict-built stone houses, alongside the twisting, shallow river and through the lush rainforest. Then, just a few hours down the road, you're winding through rare alpine wilderness with snow-dusted mountain ranges. And by sunset, you're on a beach looking out across the ocean.

Image: Coast to Coast – Tasmania